(Nanowerk News) OCSiAl unveiled a breakthrough technology for the production of single wall carbon nanotubes (‘SWCNTs’), which enables large scale, commercial productionof SWCNT for the first time.

Estimated production of the SWCNTs is 1 ton for the first year, which doubles current global production levels according to different estimates. Potential annual capacity of OCSiAl production is currently 10 tonnes. This method is easily scalable and capable of producing an unlimited quantity of SWCNTs at a very low cost. With this production volume and ultimately the quality of the end product, OCSiAl technology is poised to improve many of the products the world relies on, from better batteries to more durable tyres.

The announcement of the new synthesis process was made at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining by OCSiAl spokesmen Yuri Koropachinskiy, President, and Mikhail Predtechenskiy, Chief Technology Officer and inventor of the new synthesis method. Unlike all the current technologies, OCSiAl’s production method rests on notable findings in plasma chemistry and physics, combining to produce high-performance synthesis of SWCNTs, allowing literally unlimited output and unrivalled low production costs.

Zyvex Technologies has already begun integrating OCSiAl nanomaterials into their products. “ The use of SWCNTs could open the door to fundamental change in many industries, but there has always been an invincible obstacle: SWCNTs were only available in small quantities at sky-high prices, and quality wasn’t guaranteed. OCSiAl helps make nanotechnology applicable for many companies desperate for a commercially viable materials innovation,” said Lance Criscuolo, President of Zyvex Technologies.

The output, ‘as produced,’ will be sold under the brand name TUBALL ®, yielding 75% and more of top quality SWCNTs, with all impurities of catalyst particles encapsulated in carbon shells. The content of free metal particles does not exceed 1%. Numerous laboratory and industrial tests proved TUBALL ®’s ability to serve as a first universal additive, enhancing mechanical strength and the thermal and electrical conductivity of materials, such as composites, polymers, rubber material, metals, batteries, transparent conductive filmsand many others. Significant improvements in performance of these and other materials are observed upon the addition of 0.001%-0.1% weight of TUBALL®.

Yuri Koropachinskiy said, “The unique combination of technical properties makes TUBALL ® a sort of high-tech panacea which can drastically improve any known material’s properties even if added in very-low-quantities. By introducing TUBALL ® OCSiAl sets a standard for a whole new product class that was never seen before. These are premium quality single wall carbon nanotubes supplied in sufficient amounts at commercially viable terms.” He added, “If single wall carbon nanotubes were discovered today they would have been called graphene nanotubes.“

Free samples of TUBALL ® can be ordered now and shipped from OCSiAl stockhouses in Europe, Asia and the US. The commercial price for TUBALL ® starts from $2000 per kg. Another OCSiAl presentation will be held in one weeks’ time at the meeting of the SF Bay Area Nanotechnology Council of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Santa Clara, California, USA.